House Jameson (Novel: House Partch)
House Jameson (Novel: House Partch) is one of the five Noble Houses of Duilintinn. It is led by Lord Jameson Jackson (Novel: Lord Jameson Partch). History Modern Day House Jameson suffered a minor recession during The Second Great Famine, as starving citizens had little money to spend on the arts. During this time, the creative outlets found in House Jameson shifted to become more practical. Cartography, record keeping, and pamphlet making continued to be extremely popular pursuits even after the famine had ended. In addition, a trend has recently begun where artists will create likenesses of their lords in their medium of choice. While this likely originated from a desire to remember and possibly find or prompt the return of these lords, what truly kindled this spark into a flame that swept the artistic world was the discovery that no two representations of a lord looked alike. It has been decades since some of the lords have been seen, so discrepancies in local memory are not surprising, but the citizens of House Jameson and the kingdom at large became enamored with these diverse depictions of these legendary figures. It is a common practice for multiple artists or authors to pass time by creating multiple versions of a tale or figure and comparing them amongst themselves. While this is hardly an internal conflict or struggle, the sudden public interest in the missing lords beyond members of The Watch is an interesting cultural development that might have unexpected results for The Watch and their future actions. Geography House Jameson is perched amidst the heights of the Southern Mountains. To the north, the mountain foothills eventually descend into the plains of House Jackie. To the east, the Airceann River flows beneath the Iolla Cliffs of House Schneeplestein. To the south, mountains. Lots of ‘em. To the west, the Western Forest reaches into the mountains, with the Gáire River marking the boundary between familiar lands and the unknown wilderness. By comparison to the Northern Mountains, the Southern Mountains have fewer resources, but they’re much more habitable, with a less dramatic slope upwards until you go further south, where they get much steeper. This allows the people of House Jameson to actually live in the mountains themselves, rather than be stuck in the foothills. Flora and Fauna House Jameson is considered a moor in the northern foothills, before the mountains really start getting steep, with all of the flora and fauna that might involve. As one travels further south, the mountains become rockier, home to mosses, birds, and other wildlife of those ecosystems. Climate The climate is very cold and snowy in the winter, and mild and rainy in the summer. While House Brody's wet summers consist more of intermittent bouts of heavy rain, House Jameson will get consistent, steady showers that rarely fall below a light misting for most of the summer. Culture House Jameson is the house of those who stand on the sidelines, watching and encouraging others with an optimism that shines over the entire Watch. They are quiet; often feeling like they don’t contribute a lot to the fight against the enemy, but their presence and encouragement is a fundamental support structure in The Watch. During the weeks and months where no sign of the enemy can be found and all other Watchers are pacing in nervous anticipation, members of House Jameson will fill their time with tales, songs, art, and encouragement. Many also ply their skills to aid those with a more active role against the enemy, either by creating maps, charts, or illustrations of new monsters and foes, or by simply encouraging them and standing by them during periods of frantic stress. Some members of House Jameson who were once employed as couriers for messages and deliveries across the kingdom now serve as scouts and messengers for The Watch, sketching or writing their observations or simply passing along the observations of others. They are a quiet undercurrent of positivity and morale that keeps the Watchers from despair during their slow, endless battle against the enemy. House Jameson is a culture of creativity and mutual appreciation. It is common to see two artists fawning over the other’s works while paying no heed to the compliments they are receiving. To celebrate and commemorate the efforts and deeds of others is the primary goal of House Jameson, and its members do so with gusto. Those who do not create artistic or creative works (and many who do) will often volunteer their services as couriers to share their peer’s works across the rest of the kingdom. Others are museum curators, protecting these works and preserving the history of the kingdom for the next generation. While House Schneeplestein is also a cultural hub in the kingdom, their focus is scholarly culture, while the focus of House Jameson isn a artistic and creative culture. Unsurprisingly, this culture of mutual appreciation and positivity causes members of House Jameson to be fiercely loyal and tremendously accommodating. A bard once remarked that if you asked a member of Houses Marvin, Schneeplestein, and Jameson for a nail, one would laugh as it exploded in a shower of sparks, one would tell you to find your own nail, and one would trip over their own cloak in their eagerness to find you the best nail in the land. Another bard retorted that it was foolish to assume the member of House Jameson wouldn’t attempt to make you a nail himself. While not all members of House Jameson have artistic or creative skills, all are extremely positive and supportive of those around them. All are grateful for their cheer, as this positivity helps to balance the paranoia that has gripped the entire kingdom since the lords all vanished into the king’s halls. Settlements Noefrach: 'The capital of House Jameson, on the Guardian River. With its own unique style of architecture, this city is home to House Jameson's government and the political hubs of House Jameson's major guilds. 'Guardian Spire Outpost: 'An outpost of The Watch, located in the Northern Mountains near the source of the Guardian River. Keeps a watchful eye over the rest of Duilintinn. 'Gáire Roosts Outpost: 'An outpost of The Watch, located in the southwestern corner of House Jameson along the banks of the Gáire River. Spearheads all research and operations into the Western Forest. 'Dwelly: 'Small town a few miles away from the Western Forest. Hometown of Lord Jameson. 'Bally Cappaghowen: 'Large town in the center of House Jameson. 'Fay's Cabin: 'Small, isolated cabin, home to a Watcher named Mage Artisan Fay. [[Teannta|'Teannta]]: A town in the west, containing the secondary guild hubs of House Jameson. Economy House Jameson provides little in terms of necessary goods to the other houses. Instead, they are the hub of artistic culture and expression within the kingdom. Not only do these creative endeavors serve to entertain and delight the citizens of the kingdom, but also many members of House Jameson have begun to turn their skills towards tasks such as cartography, recording famous events, and other purposes useful to the watch beyond simple positivity. Additionally, given how much Noefrach has a thing for candles, being a candle maker would be quite a lucrative job in that region. Probably lucrative and competitive in House Jameson, but in Noefrach especially. The idea came from the candles featured in Jameson's first video back in 2017, but with House Jameson's grey climate and shadowy overhanging roofs, it makes sense on a lore/culture aspect too! Guilds Three specific guilds hold the most economic and political sway in House Jameson: The Bards' Guild, Grand Troupe, and Artisans' Guild. However, all of Duilitintinn's guilds have at least a minor presence in every Noble House. The Inventors' Guild of House Marvin regularly collaborates with the Artisans' Guild, and the Bards' Guild often works heavily with the House Schneeplestein's Keepers of Memory. Government and Politics The Lord Until Hallows Eve, 1614, Lord Jameson had not been seen since the celebrations upon receiving his title. Most believe he was immediately called to the castle to help the other lords in dealing with the threat of the enemy, though some worry that the enemy might have a hand in his disappearance. Worse still, rumors have begun to spread that Lord Jameson might have committed treason and joined the enemy of his own free will. It seems that the former rumors were correct. Lord Jameson reappeared briefly in Cordoire in late October 1614, but on Hallows Eve soon afterward, The Enemy used his evil magic to puppet the man before the eyes of the whole kingdom, even as Lord Jameson fought and signed for help. He has not been seen since. The Bureaucracy Each Noble House has a bureaucratic system running the day-to-day administrative stuff in the background, and has had one since Duilintinn's founding. The Lords were there to run the whole show, pick what they wanted their lands to strive towards, that sort of thing. The lords were more like a symbolic "this is what we stand for" heads of state than someone with actual administrative power, which was left to the bureaucracies. At first, this required a lot of oversight from each lord to make sure that the bureaucrats were actually doing what they asked of them, but since each house is now full of people with similar ideology and goals, that oversight is much less necessary. Most officials in the bureaucratic part of the government legitimately want the same goals that the Lord wanted (otherwise they would have probably chosen a different house). When the lords disappeared, very little about the actual functioning of the government changed. Instead, the bureaucracy strives to carry on the legacy and aims of their missing lord. Symbols The House Animal of House Jameson is a water horse. Trivia * The real-world equivalent of House Jameson's geography is the Swiss Alps, with its slowly rising foothills, sharp increases of elevation, and winding isolated roads. Category:Locations Category:Noble Houses